Mitchell lived part of her childhood in Manhattan, Kansas, where the Black population only comprised about 5% of the college town’s residents. But Mitchell’s home was filled with Black pride.

Alongside her mother Katherine, Mitchell would read books by Black women such as Toni Morrison, Jesmyn Ward and Tayari Jones. The pair would then discuss them. During this time, Mitchell says, she grew to love Langston Hughes’ “My People,” the poem she’d often recite to her mother before being permitted to play.

Credit: Clarkson Potter

Credit: Clarkson Potter

Mitchell’s debut book, “Prose to the People” (Clarkson Potter, $26.99), out April 8, is a photo-heavy coffee table book that chronicles the history of Black-owned bookstores by spotlighting stores across the country, including Shrine of the Black Madonna and 44th and 3rd Booksellers in Atlanta. Her goal was to make a book that could appeal to anyone ― even if they didn’t share her deep love of reading.

But the title is a nod to her childhood when she became obsessed with the work of Hughes, sometimes referred to as a “poet of the people.” Reading Hughes’ autobiography while working on her own book, Mitchell often felt like she was being “guided” through her work by his legacy.

“Even the [book] title, I borrowed from [his] autobiography. He has a section called ‘Poetry to the People’ where he goes around to different colleges telling people about poetry,” Mitchell says. As Mitchell interviewed bookstore owners for “Prose,” she quickly learned that Hughes was an integral figure in several of the spaces.

Credit: Scoptt

Credit: Scoptt

Mitchell, a Georgia Tech alumna who studied public health, became a bookseller herself after opening the pop-up and online store Good Books ATL on Mother’s Day in 2019. The idea came about after a group of friends visited her apartment off Ponce de Leon and expressed curiosity about her book collection, which included books by Morrison, Hughes and Maya Angelou. An avid reader since her youth, Mitchell was shocked her friends weren’t familiar with some of the books. She became eager to share them with as many people as possible.

Founded with her mother, Good Books ATL appeared at local festivals throughout the city, allowing people who might not have otherwise visited a bookstore the opportunity to peruse their collection of vintage, backlisted books and the occasional modern release.

The inventory is personally curated. For instance, when Mitchell read ZZ Packer’s 2003 short story collection “Drinking Coffee Elsewhere,” she couldn’t wait to share it with readers. “When I first read that book, I was like, ‘Now all of y’all have to read this. Come on, buy this book. We’re going to read it together,’” she says. “I like the discovery process and then sharing, too.”

A year after founding Good Books Atl, folks throughout the country turned to Black-owned bookstores in droves during the coronavirus pandemic and racial unrest in 2020. It was bittersweet to encounter success during a time of national turmoil, says Mitchell.

Still, as people rushed to support Black-owned businesses, Mitchell noticed they didn’t seem to know the rich history of Black-owned bookstores in America. She was flattered when people referenced Good Books Atl in conversations online, but she wanted them to know other booksellers, too. Even her own historical knowledge was limited, she admits.

In 2021, Mitchell landed a fellowship with the NPR podcast “How I Built This.” After appearing on the show she was approached by a literary agent who asked if she was interested in writing a book. She knew right away that she wanted to write about bookstores.

While researching “Prose to the People,” Mitchell spent two years visiting bookstores and interviewing owners throughout the country, from New York and Los Angeles to New Orleans and Jackson, Mississippi. She also spent a lot of time digging through archives at institutions such as Emory University and writing at libraries throughout DeKalb County. Her mother initially worried about whether or not all the hard work would pay off.

“She’s like, ‘You’re always in the library. What are you doing? Do you have a job?’” Mitchell recalls, laughing. “Now that she sees it, she’s like, ‘Oh my gosh. This is so beautiful. This is so big. You did it, you did it!’”

One of Mitchell’s favorite parts about writing “Prose” was connecting with bookstore owners and authors ― especially the late Nikki Giovanni, who wrote the book’s foreword. Mitchell wrote a letter to the poet sharing that they were both members of the Black sorority Delta Sigma Theta.

“I told her how much she means to me and what role her poems have played in my life during different times, and she was so gracious,” Mitchell says. “They say don’t meet your heroes, but I’m so glad I met her. I’m so honored that she said yes. ... I wanted her to have the first word of ‘Prose’ because during the reporting [on] all the bookstores that were around during the ‘60s to the ‘90s, everyone had a Nikki Giovanni story. And all [of them were] positive.”

Another one was Ed Vaughn, owner of Detroit’s first Black-owned bookstore, which operated in the ‘60s and ‘70s, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2023. Prior to his death in 2024, Vaughn lived in Atlanta, where he and Mitchell bonded during the reporting for “Prose.”

“One of the things about this book that I wasn’t expecting was getting to know so many beautiful elders,” Mitchell says. “All my best friends are in their 80s now,” Mitchell adds, laughing. “It’s just experiences that I really wouldn’t have had [otherwise]. ... My grandparents both passed during the pandemic and [I’d been] thinking I wouldn’t have that intergenerational relationship anymore. So many elders held me and were like, ‘OK, you’re my grandbaby now.’”

AUTHOR EVENT

Katie Mitchell. Georgia Center for the Book and 44th & 3rd Bookseller host the book launch for “Prose to the People.” 7 p.m. April 8. Free, but registration requested. Decatur Library, 215 Sycamore St., Decatur. georgiacenterforthebook.org, 44thand3rdbookseller.com.